“This video is not available in your country” - for years this notice on YouTube caused long faces, especially among fans of music videos. Since the YouTube mother, Google, reached an agreement with GEMA on the exploitation of rights at the end of 2016, blocked YouTube videos have hardly been an issue. The “actually” is the crucial point here! There is still YouTube content that is limited by the creators to certain regions. Like any other website, YouTube recognizes your location based on your IP address. If, for example, a video or a live stream is restricted to the US market, users with a European IP address cannot access it. The same applies if, for example, you want to watch a video while on vacation that is restricted to Germany.This so-called geo-blocking is annoying. But there are ways and means to deal with it: We will show you how you can break YouTube blocks.
Can I bypass a YouTube block at all?
The question of whether bypassing a country block on YouTube is legal or illegal is not an easy one to answer. There is broad agreement that circumventing geoblocking measures from Germany should not be equated with circumventing complex copy protection measures. To date, there is no known case in which the use of appropriate measures such as VPN services or proxy services was prosecuted.
The situation is different if YouTube is to be accessed in a country that prohibits access to the platform by law. Examples of these restrictions are Iran, North Korea and China. Anyone who violates a YouTube ban while traveling in such a country can certainly be punished according to local laws.
Regardless of the legal situation at the state level, bypassing YouTube blocks can also be interpreted as a violation of Google's in-house terms of use . These are constantly being adapted by the YouTube creators. Theoretically, there is a risk that YouTube could block the relevant account by bypassing country blocks.
In countries where YouTube is banned, web blocking bypassing can become a legal problem. Bypass YouTube blocking via VPN
Probably the most elegant way to watch blocked YouTube videos is to use a VPN. A VPN service forwards the entire data traffic of a PC - including calls to websites such as YouTube - via a so-called VPN server. The highlight: If such a server is in a different country, the accessed website does not see your personal IP address , but that of the server. For example, if a YouTube video is limited to the US, you can watch it by browsing through a US VPN.
VPN services also increase security when surfing , as they encrypt all traffic. The use of such a VPN is therefore recommended, especially in public WLANs. Among the commercial VPN services, we can recommend NordVPN or Mulvad , among others . Corresponding subscriptions cost between 30 and 50 euros a year and offer access to countless servers worldwide. In this article, we will explain to you how to surf anonymously via VPN..
VPN services like NordVPN assign a foreign IP address to your computer with one click. Geoblocking can almost always be avoided.
In addition to paid VPNs, there are now a number of free VPN services . These often only offer a limited range of functions and limit the monthly traffic, but the offers are often sufficient for occasional YouTube videos or even one or the other live stream. Recommended include the kostenloseen range of Cyber Ghost VPN tunnel Bear , VPNHub or the free VPN services to Pornhub (more on VPN services to Pornhub here).
Using a VPN service is easy. Most providers provide desktop programs or apps for Android and iOS for this purpose. After logging in, all you have to do is install the appropriate VPN software, log into the account and select a server. As soon as the connection is established, you are surfing the Internet with a foreign IP address . Now just visit YouTube and go to the locked video to watch.
Bypass YouTube blocking via proxy
In addition to the VPN method, a YouTube block can also be bypassed more easily: Use a proxy server . In terms of its basic concept, this method is similar to the VPN solution. You redirect the call from YouTube via a server that is equipped with a (usually foreign) IP address. In contrast to the VPN, not all network traffic is encrypted here , but in practice, proxies are usually sufficient to bypass simple web blocks.
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browser users can use a variety of proxy extensions. In our experience, Proxtube for Firefox and ProxFlow for Chrome do this the best job. When you visit YouTube, both automatically ensure that your IP address comes from the US and thus avoid annoying bans..
Extensions like Proxflow bypass YouTube blocks fully automatically. If you don't feel like installing a browser extension for the occasional YouTube excursion, you can unblock individual videos via practical websites . Zalmos , for example, provides a solution for this . The web proxy allows any page to be accessed via a proxy. The most important services, including YouTube, can be reached with one click. Proxysite works just as well . Incidentally, these pages are also ideal for unblocking YouTube on your smartphone or tablet without having to adjust the entire configuration at the same time.
Services like Proxysite unblock sites like YouTube directly in the browser. Use YouTube Music and YouTube Premium in Germany?
As seen, unblocking individual videos and streams on YouTube is not a major problem. But what about the new payment models YouTube Music and YouTube Premium? YouTube offers ad-free access to music and videos on the platform for a monthly fee - but unfortunately not in Germany. For example, YouTube Music is currently only available in the United States, Australia, Mexico, and a few other markets. The hope of accessing the service via the US IP address quickly evaporates. When registering, Google also requires an address and a credit card in the respective country. If they are not available, access is denied. But there is hope: YouTube is already announcing the launch of YouTube Music in Germany . So here it says: patience is the order of the day.
YouTube Music and YouTube Premium should also come to Germany - even a VPN does not change the waiting time.